ISLAND BOATS

Hawaiian Eco-tour Boat In Service

Earlier this year, Hawaii’s Pacific Whale Watch Foundation took delivery of their latest catamaran, the M/V Ocean Discovery, from Island Boats of Jeanerettt, La. Like the earlier, Seattle-built M/V Ocean Voyager, a pair of Cummins KTA19 M4 engines delivering 700 hp each to propellers powers the new vessel. The engines on the new boat turn through Twin Disc “Quickshift” gearboxes allowing the vessel to be stopped and reversed quickly in emergency situations without harming the passengers. The vessel’s varied seating arrangement provides excellent viewing of the Hawaiian scenery and aquatic life at speeds up to 26-knots. At 65 by 28-feet the new boat has seating for 163 and is licensed to a passenger capacity up to 149 people. An interesting innovation on this vessel is the use of a soft composite material to cover the rudders and skegs in front of the props to protect any marine life in the event of a collision. The boat’s builder had the molds for the rubber polymar coated rudders made by APEX CNC of Morgan City, La. Greg Kaufman, president and founder of Pacific Whale Foundation, explains, "Our goal was to create something that was simple yet elegant in its design. We wanted a device that would not inhibit the vessel's maneuverability and present little mass or surface area with which to collide with marine life."

Emerging from Fog

By Larry Pearson The various segments of the passenger vessel industry have undergone significant transformation in the last 12 months. It looks stronger as we head into the last six months of the year with ferries and charter yachts leading the way. Frankly, a year ago the passenger vessel industry was in some disarray faced with developing a security plan to meet the Maritime Transportation Security Act of 2002 passed in Congress in wake of terrorism threats

Opal Receives Awards

Opal Marine, the UK’s largest sailboat distributor has collected a host of awards for outstanding sales of Island Packet yachts in the UK. The awards were presented to Island Packet Sales Director, Bob Stokes during the recent annual Island Packet dealer’s banquet and awards ceremony in Annapolis, USA. For the third year in a row Opal picked up the “Million Dollar Club” award which is aimed at an elite group of dealers who have succeeded in

LI Ferry Accident

Coast Guard rescue crews are searching for a missing ferry passenger after two people were reported unaccounted for, and a 65-ft. paving truck fell off the ferry Susan Anne less than one mile off Orient Point, Long Island, N.Y., 10 a.m. today. A crew from a second ferry in the vicinity responded and initially recovered one person from the water deceased. The victim was then transferred by the crew of the Susan Anne to Eastern Long Island Hospital in Greenport, Long Island, N.Y

South Padre Island Gets New Law Enforcement Boat

Crewmembers from Coast Guard Station South Padre Island, Texas, glide through the waters of the Gulf of Mexico in a 33-foot high-speed boat here on Wednesday, Aug. 16, 2006. The station received three of these new boats in July of this year to increase the unit's law enforcement capabilities. The boat features three engines with 275 hp each. "These boats are changing the way we do interdictions," said Chief Petty Officer Andrea Martynowski, operatons chief at Station South Padre Island

Bullfrog Delivers Rescue Boat

Bullfrog Boats delivered a 17-ft. rescue boat to Camano Island Fire and Rescue. Craig Henderson, owner of Bullfrog Boats said, “The people at Camano Island Fire and Rescue were great to work with in developing this mission-specific rescue boat. This boat replaces an older inflatable that had outlived its usefulness.” Henderson continued, “Our 17-foot aluminum-hulled boat, with Bullfrog’s patented foam-filled flotation collar, is a very durable

Report: Ferries Remain Vulnerable to Attacks

The Advance reported that while terrorist attacks on Staten Island's bridges would be difficult, experts say, the Staten Island Ferry remains a high-profile, vulnerable target. Harvey Kushner, a Long Island University professor of criminal justice and a federal government counterterrorism adviser, said the payoff for terrorists would be the sea disaster spectacle value. Officials said city ferries remain vulnerable despite the post-9/11 ban on trucks and cars

MarAd Approves Sale and Transfer of Five Vessels

The Maritime Administration (MarAd) has approved the sale and transfer of five vessels under section 9 of the Shipping Act, of 1916, as amended. MarAd has approved an application filed by Zapata Gulf Pacific, L.L.C., of New Orleans, Louisiana for the sale of the offshore supply Adam Tide Official No. 1062708, to Tidewater Boat Limited, New Orleans, Louisiana, a Cayman Island corporation, and the transfer of said vessel to Vanuatu registry and flag.

Great Lakes Shipyard Reconstructs Put-In-Bay

Great Lakes Shipyard, a division of The Great Lakes Group, has completed all work required under contract with Miller Boat Line, Put-in-Bay, Ohio, to fabricate and install a new 40-ft mid-body extension in the passenger/vehicle ferry Put-in-Bay. The contract was awarded on August 17, 2009, and all work was completed at Great Lakes Shipyard facilities on the South Bank of the Old River Channel, on Cleveland's Cuyahoga River.

Blount Boats Awarded Contract for Casco Bay Ferry

Blount Boats, Inc. has been awarded a contract by the Maine Department of Transportation to build a 110-ft passenger ferry for the Casco Bay Island Transit District. The design specifications are similar to the Aucocisco III, which were developed by Seaworthy Systems. The proposed 399 passenger, Sub-Chapter K vessel will operate year round ferry service to islands in Casco Bay, Portland, Maine. The vessel will be equipped with electronically controlled diesel engines that meet the latest